]]>http://blog.seahawks.com/2013/03/30/on-this-date-dave-brown-among-players-selected-in-veteran-allocation-draft/feed/0Clare FarnsworthDave BrownToday is the anniversary of NFL’s switch to 16-game schedulehttp://blog.seahawks.com/2013/03/29/today-is-the-anniversary-of-nfls-switch-to-16-game-schedule/
http://blog.seahawks.com/2013/03/29/today-is-the-anniversary-of-nfls-switch-to-16-game-schedule/#commentsFri, 29 Mar 2013 20:26:11 +0000http://blog.seahawks.com/?p=30013]]>The 16-game regular season in the NFL has been the norm so long that it’s hard to remember when teams played fewer games.

But there was that time, as the Pro Football Hall of Fame shows in this chart to commemorate today’s 36th anniversary of the owners voting to expand the regular season.

The Seahawks played two seasons under the 14-game schedule that was used from 1961-1977. They went 2-12 in their inaugural season in 1976 and 5-9 in 1977.

The Nordstrom family was the majority owner of the team, which played its home game in the Kingdome. Jack Patera was the coach. Jim Zorn was the quarterback. Steve Largent was the leading receiver. Sherman Smith was the leading rusher. Dave Brown (’76) and Terry Beeson (’77) were the leading tacklers.

That ’76 season was short on victories, but long on long-anticipated excitement.

“We only won two games that first year,” recalls Zorn, who is now a member of the team’s Ring of Honor along with Largent and Brown. “But you would have thought we almost went to the playoffs. That’s how enthusiastic not only we were, but the fans were. Everybody was excited.”

And what a difference that one season made to the expansion Seahawks. As Smith puts it, “As a team, we definitely felt more like a team in ’77. There was just more familiarity, with what the coaches wanted from us and with what the guy next to you would do on any given play. That first year, it was just getting ready to go and coming to training camp with more than 100 guys. So in ’77, it was a totally different feeling.”

A look at some memorable moments in Seahawks history that occurred on Feb. 16:

1997: After getting a come-check-this-out phone call from just-signed free agent and former Steelers teammate Chad Brown, Willie Williams also signs with the Seahawks and starts 75 games at cornerback over the next seven seasons. Williams would return three of his 17 interceptions for touchdowns, tying him for second in franchise history with Keith Simpson, Kenny Easley and Josh Wilson behind all-time leader Dave Brown (five).

2005: After being named the franchise player for three consecutive years, Walter Jones signs a multi-year contract that makes him a Seahawk for the remainder of his 13-season career.

2006: Linebackers coach John Marshall is elevated to defensive coordinator on Mike Holmgren’s staff as health issues force Ray Rhodes to take a position as a special projects/defense assistant.

1985: Fredd Young blocks a punt to set up a touchdown, Norm Johnson kicks two field goals and Kenny Easley has a game-high 10 tackles as the AFC wins the Pro Bowl 22-14. The Seahawks’ largest Pro Bowl contingent in franchise history also includes Steve Largent, Dave Krieg, Joe Nash and Dave Brown.

1992: Former Seahawks cornerback Dave Brown is named a defensive assistant on Tom Flores’ staff. Brown, the franchise record-holder with 50 interceptions, would be added to the team’s Ring of Honor in August of the same year.

STONE MOUNTAIN, Ga. – The Seahawks have landed four players on the All-Pro team that is selected by the Associated Press, it was announced this morning.

There were two on offense – running back Marshawn Lynch and center Max Unger; and two on defense – cornerback Richard Sherman and free safety Earl Thomas. This is the first time any of them have been selected All-Pro, but Lynch, Unger and Thomas were voted to the Pro Bowl last month.

The Seahawks are in Georgia for tomorrow’s NFC divisional playoff game against the Falcons in Atlanta.

The four-player contingent matches the largest in franchise history. In 2005, the season the Seahawks made their Super Bowl run, running back and league MVP Shaun Alexander, left guard Steve Hutchinson, left tackle Walter Jones and fullback Mack Strong made the All-Pro team. The 1984 team had three players selected – kicker Norm Johnson, nose tackle Joe Nash and strong safety Kenny Easley, with wide receiver Steve Largent and cornerback Dave Brown getting second-team honors.

“That is taking individuals and saying they are the best in the NFL at that position and that’s what I wanted to be,” Sherman said. “The Pro Bowl is taking three from each side, it’s more of a popularity contest. The All-Pro, you’re the best at your position. It doesn’t matter if you’re a fifth-rounder or fourth-rounder or undrafted. If you play the best, you’re All-Pro.”

Unger took the opposite view, saying that the Pro Bowl means more because the squad is selected by other players and coaches in the league – as opposed to the media members who vote on the All-Pro team.

“To have other players say you’re the best at your position, that really means something,” Unger said, and then added with a smile, “But being named All-Pro is pretty cool, too.”

Unger, Thomas and Sherman are the first players in franchise history at their positions to be named first team All-Pro. Lynch joins Alexander as the only running back to be named first-team All-Pro, and Alexander also made the second team in 2004. Curt Warner was a second-team selection three times (1983, 1986 and 1987), while Chris Warren got second-team status twice (1994 and 1995).

Jones holds the franchise record with four first-team selections (2001, 2004-05 and 2007), and he was a second-team pick in 2008. Defensive tackle Cortez Kennedy and Easley were named to the first team three times – 1992-94 for Kennedy, who also was a second-team selection 1996; 1983-85 for Easley. Largent made the second team four times (1978-79, 1984 and 1987).

1977: Jim Zorn throws a 15-yard touchdown pass to Steve Largent in the fourth quarter, giving the Seahawks a 20-19 victory over the Browns at the Kingdome in their season finale.

1983: The Seahawks clinch their first playoff berth with a 24-6 victory over the Patriots in their regular-season finale at the Kingdome, and all three units contribute as Steve Largent catches seven passes for 133 yards and a touchdown, Dave Krieg passes for two TDs and Curt Warner runs for 116 yards; Jacob Green has three sacks and Kenny Easley and Dave Brown intercept passes; and Jeff West has five of his six punts downed inside the 20-yard line.

1988: The Seahawks win their first division title with a wild 43-37 victory over the Raiders in Los Angeles on the final Sunday of the regular season. The Seahawks jump to a 30-17 lead and hold on as Dave Krieg passes for 410 yards and four touchdowns, with Brian Blades catching four passes for 123 yards and two TDs and John L. Williams adds seven catches for 180 yards.

1994: Jeff Hostetler passes 77 yards to Tim Brown for a fourth-quarter touchdown as the Raiders take a 17-16 victory over the Seahawks at the Kingdome. Chris Warren runs for 122 yards and the Seahawks’ only touchdown, while John Kasay kicks three field goals.

2005: Matt Hasselbeck throws second-half touchdown passes to Joe Jurevicius and Darrell Jackson as the Seahawks rally for a 28-24 victory over the Titans in Tennessee that is win No. 10 in their club-record 11-game winning streak. Shaun Alexander also runs for 172 yards and a TD.

1977: David Sims runs for two touchdowns, Sherman Smith has 149 yards rushing and receiving and another TD and Dave Brown returns an interception for a TD as the Seahawks hold on to win a wild 34-31 game against the Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium after taking a 34-21 lead at halftime.

1983: In a game that features “the holding call heard ’round the Pacific Northwest,” the Seahawks win 17-12 over the Giants at the Meadowlands behind two touchdown passes from Dave Krieg to setup the first playoff appearance in franchise history. The Giants’ Jeff Rutledge passes for an apparent game-winning touchdown on a fourth-and-7 play with 30 seconds to play, but a holding call nullifies the score and his final pass is broken up. The win puts the Seahawks in a situation where they earn a wild-card spot with a victory over the Patriots at the Kingdome on the final weekend of the regular season, which they do.

1988: Curt Warner scores four touchdowns and rushes for 126 yards and John L. Williams has 183 yards rushing and receiving in a 42-14 victory over the Broncos at the Kingdome.

1994: Chris Warren runs for 185 yards and a touchdown and Cortez Kennedy has two of the Seahawks’ six sacks of Billy Joe Tolliver in a 16-14 victory over the Oilers in the Astrodome.

2005: Matt Hasselbeck passes for four touchdowns, including two to Bobby Engram; Shaun Alexander rushes for 108 yards and a TD; and a defense led by Lofa Tatupu (interception) and Marcus Tubbs (two sacks) limits the 49ers to 113 yards in a 41-3 victory in Seattle that is win No. 9 in the team’s club-record 11-game winning streak.

1984: The Seahawks set an NFL record by returning four interceptions for touchdowns in a 45-0 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs at the Kingdome. Cornerback Dave Brown has two of the scoring returns, while strong safety Kenny Easley and cornerback Keith Simpson each have one.

2007: Nate Burleson returns a punt 94 yards for a touchdown in a 33-30 overtime loss to the Browns in Cleveland, becoming the first player in NFL history with three punts returns of 90-plus yards in his career.

1986: Jacob Green collects four sacks and Dave Brown intercepts two passes as the Seahawks post a 17-12 victory over the eventual Super Bowl champion New York Giants at the Kingdome. The Seahawks defeat both Super Bowl teams during the regular season (the Broncos being the other), but fail to make the playoffs despite a 10-6 record.

2003: The Seahawks beat the Bears 24-17 to complete the best start in franchise history (5-1) as Shaun Alexander runs for 101 yards and two touchdowns. The 1984 and 1986 teams also had started 4-1.

2004: Jerry Rice, the NFL’s all-time leading receiver, is acquired in a trade with the Raiders. Rice plays only one season with the Seahawks, catching 25 passes for 362 yards and three touchdowns.